2 Trumbull Residents Added to Mentor Program

Trumbull Residents Join United Way to help Expand Mentor Program: Trumbull Residents Jaimie DeSisto and Brianna Weller have joined United Way of Coastal Fairfield County to help with the expansion of its mentor program, Wi-mentor.

According to a United Way press release, the four-year-old program began in Bridgeport and Stratford and is an internet-based mentoring program. Mentors and Mentees are matched and communicate weekly through curriculum based emails, and meet several times throughout the year to build their relationships. It is being expanded this year into Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk.

"Jaimie DeSisto and Brianna Weller each bring passion and commitment to helping our young people succeed. DeSisto, who was instrumental in developing and expanding the mentoring program she previously worked with, is the Program Manager for Wi-mentor and oversees the mentoring program. Her vast experience will be instrumental in moving the Wi-mentor program forward," the release states.

"The Program Coordinator will coordinate and manage students in one of the five participating schools. Both Weller and Rick Davis, Assistant Program Manager, will assist DeSisto in developing strategies to support the mentors and mentees, recruiting more much needed mentors, and training.

She was the Program Director for Family ReEntry’s Champions Mentoring Program in Bridgeport and increased the number of mentors by 66 percent and the number of mentees by 67 percent within a six-month time frame, the release states. During her tenure, Champions Mentoring Program was recognized and honored for outstanding performance and is ranked as one of the two top programs of its kind in the country. DeSisto is a graduate of Sacred Heart University.

Weller is a recent graduate of Southern Connecticut State University and has a Bachelors of Science in Public Health. "During her final semester, she completed a 300-hour internship at Milford Hospital in the Department of Education. She has been a part of numerous committees and volunteerism has been an integral part of her life. Among her distinctions, Weller was named Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges from 2009 – 2011."

United Way of Coastal Fairfield County’s serves the towns of Fairfield, Bridgeport, Stratford, Westport, Trumbull, Easton, Monroe, Weston, Norwalk, Wilton, New Canaan and Darien. Find out more at the website, www.unitedwaycfc.org.